News Odisha

A worst ever man-made agrarian crisis!

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is current caught in a worst ever agrarian crisis. This crisis appears to be more than a man-made one than what the state government tries to portray it as a natural calamity. More than half of the state’s 53 lakh farmers have directly or indirectly affected by this situation.

As many as nine farmers have committed suicide in the past 13 days due to crop damage in pest attack and the number, as apprehended by experts associated with agriculture economy, - may alarmingly rise in the coming days.

Reports of scores of farmers setting ablaze their farmlands in protest against the state government’s alleged failure to provide timely advice and assistance to save their crops are pouring in from various districts almost everyday.

Supply of spurious pesticides by government agencies and “inaction” by the agriculture officials to provide timely technological support and advice to farmers have resulted in crop loss in over 1.78 lakh hectares land in 16 of the 30 districts. The crop loss figure would expectedly rise further as the assessment process is still on.

Of the eight farmers who have committed suicides allegedly due to crop damage, five are from Bargarh district while one each died in Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Nuapda and Kalahandi districts.

A day before he committed suicide on November 1, 2017, - Brundaban Sahoo, a 55-year-old farmer of Kalapani village in Bargarh district, had told the media that despite repeated appeals to the district authorities about the pest attack, no solutions was provided to the local farmers.

Sahoo, a sharecropper, had undertaken paddy cultivation in about 14 acres of land but the Brown Plant-hopper pest robbed him of the entire yield. He was worried about paying back Rs 4 lakh private loan he had invested on his cultivation.

Most of the farmers who committed suicides are sharecroppers who cultivated the lands on lease. Since the state government lacks a concrete legislation on protecting the interests of the sharecroppers, they fail to avail compensations against crop damage. All the benefits go to the land owners who in fact do not invest a single pie in the entire process of cultivation.

According to Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Vice Chancellor and noted agriculture scientist Surendranath Pasupalak, - the University had on October 16 informed the state government through a letter about the impending pest attack and advised for taking preventive measures.

State agriculture minister Dr Rout, however, pleaded ignorance of the letter.

“I have not seen any letter from the OUAT. Had I received it, I would have surely acted upon it,” said Dr Rout.

Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh on November 9 accused the state government of not acting on early warnings on possible insect attacks on paddy crops resulting in the catastrophic loss of paddy nearing harvest.

“The National Rice Research Institute in Cuttack on October 5 had warned the state government about the impending pest attacks and had recommended the right pesticide. But, the state government did not act on it," he said.

“Had the state government acted on it, things would not have worsened so much," the Union minister added.

“In 2015, we had suffered crop losses and were assured by the state government to receive compensation. This year, my father knocked the door of local Revenue Inspector (RI) and Tehsildar with his grievances to covey his grievance. But none listened to him. My father had lost all faith in the fair play this present government,” Priti said.

A meritorious student, the 17-year-old girl now apprehends she would no longer be able to pursue her studies and fulfill her father’s dream to become an administrative officer.

The major complaint of the farmers is that they were supplied spurious pesticides which did not have any semblance of impact of the marauding swarms of Brown Planthoppers. In fact, a group of farmers of Bheden block have lodged police complaint in this regard.

Western Odisha’s prominent farmers’ leaders Lingaraj said the agriculture department was late in sending subsidised pesticides to the state’s 314 blocks this year as discussions dragged on over a notification indicating price list of several farm products. The notification that helps farmers get pesticides on 50 per cent to 100 per cent subsidy was issued on November 1, the day farmer Brudaban Sahoo died.

“The notification is usually ready by August. Even if delayed, it is published by September. Surprisingly, this year the notification came only after the phase of use of pesticide was over and farmers had suffered the damage,” said Lingaraj.

Faced with the anger of from various quarters after farmer suicides, state agriculture minister Dr Damodar Rout on November 2 announced a crackdown on the vendors selling “spurious” and sub-standard pesticides. The announcement still remains to be translated into action.

The crisis has led to hectic politicking in the state. The opposition BJP and Congress squarely blame the ruling BJD for the current situation. The BJD, on the hand, seems to be making desperate attempts to wriggle out of the situation contending that it had taken timely actions during the beginning of the crop season and was now taking all possible steps to reach out the distressed farmers.

“As usual, politics over death of farmers will continue with all parties eager to capitalise on the issue. This is high time, the people all sections and leaders of all political parties got united to put pressure on the Naveen Patnaik government to give legal recognition to sharecroppers, thereby enabling them avail all government benefits,” said Navnirman Krushak Sangathan convenor Akshaya Kumar.

By A K SAHOO

13/11/2017

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